JACKSON MERCHANTS PROSPER

Jackson's uptown business district not only has withstood the test of time, but a lot of competition that has sprung up over the years on the city's east side and in Cape Girardeau.

Despite all of the retail businesses that can be easily reached in a 15-minute drive, Jackson and rural Cape Girardeau County residents continue to do business uptown. And the businesses continue to meet the needs of those shoppers as they always have.

There is something about shopping at an uptown store that is different than visiting one of the many large, retail stores that draw so many shoppers. It is a combination of friendliness and service that keeps people going uptown for their buying needs.

The uptown businesses are doing a lot right to be able to survive the retail expansion that has taken place in Cape Girardeau County. Uptown businesses are good examples of how small retailers can continue to operate successfully despite the attraction of huge stores stocking just about everything one might need.

While so many local retailers in towns across the nation haven't been able to survive the new competition, they certainly aren't a vanishing breed in uptown Jackson.